I Can't Be Your Friend
by Jaretha
Summary: Random lz songfic. Very cute, very warm and fuzzy. Updated for editing.


~~ I do not own Slayers or any of its characters. ~~The song is called "I Can't Be Your Friend" by Tim Rushlow.

  
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The night, normally warm and soothing, was cold on Lina's bare arms as she perched on the rock in the center of the clearing. She was so tired of pretending, so tired of lying that she had finally run away from the Inn, knowing full well that both Gourry and Amelia were sleeping soundly in their beds. She smiled softly as she thought about the pair, losing herself in memory.

  
She had never felt alone before she hooked up with Gourry. He always seemed to be there for her, protecting her, sharing her meals, and making her laugh. He was her best friend, her champion. . . but no matter how she looked at it, she simply could not fall in love with him. He was in love with Sylphiel, and that was fine with Lina. She wished him the best of luck with her, and hoped that he would write often.

  
Amelia was another puzzle. Being a rambunctious little justice warrior, she always was giving speeches and poses to further the cause of justice. Still, she was always there for Lina, and made her feel like she finally had a little sister to watch over. But Amelia only had eyes for Zelgadis.

  
Lina's tears started again as the name sprang to her mind, bringing with it the face that had driven her out into the cold night, alone, for the first time in over two years. She knew that Zel was in love with Amelia. How could anyone stand in the face of that young girl's love and not be moved to feel the same? Even Zel, with his stone skin, couldn't stand up to her. His lovely, perfect skin. . .

  
How dare he leave without saying goodbye again! Didn't he care about any of them anymore? Didn't he know that none of them cared about his curse, or about his broody, selfish attitude? Didn't he understand how Lina felt about him?

  
She hid her face in her hands, trying to force back the tears. Words sprang into her mind, and a soft melody drifted into her ears, almost as if the wind were playing music only she could hear. Music was her one escape when she was younger. She was always singing back home, her soft, gentle soprano that always mixed so well with her sister's deep alto. She smiled softly through the tears and let the words tumble from her lips, floating easily into the melody, even if she hadn't sung in more than ten years.  
  
_"This might come as quite a shock,  
But I've given it a lot of thought.  
This thing that's come between us can't be ignored.  
I've taken all I can;  
This is where it's gotta end.  
'Cause I can't be your friend anymore.  
An' I can't be accused,  
Of not bein' there for you.  
How many nights have you shown up at my door?  
I hope you understand,  
That this wasn't in my plans,  
But I can't be your friend anymore"_  
  
The words died for a moment in her throat as she sobbed into her hands. "Oh, Zel. . ."

  
Suddenly, the wind picked up the tune again, and this time words answered back. Her head snapped up as she realized that the wind was not singing, but a guitar was being softly played somewhere nearby. A man's voice, a deep, soothing base, answered her song with his own words, his melody attuning perfectly to the tone she had set.

_  
"An' it's killin' me to know you,  
Without havin' a chance to hold you.  
An' all I wanna do is show you,  
How I really feel inside.  
You can run to me,  
You can laugh at me,  
Or you can walk right out that door.  
But I can't be your friend anymore."_  
  
Lina covered her sobs with her hand, too scared, or shocked, or ecstatic to allow the words to come forth as a man stepped from the shadows at the edge of the clearing. His beige cape floated around his slim torso in a soft, evening breeze. The cape caught the moonlight every once in a while and reflected it back into her eyes. He strummed a guitar softly with his strong hands, and the notes flew over the green grass to Lina's ears, where they sat, reverberating, as she listening to his song, stunned.  
  
_"So, baby, now it's up to you:  
Do I win or do I lose?  
Will my heart fly or lie broken on the floor.  
Well, take me as I am,  
'Cause I wanna be your man.  
But I can't be your friend anymore An' it's killin' me to know you,  
Without havin' a chance to hold you.  
An' all I wanna do is show you,  
How I really feel inside.  
You can run to me,  
You can laugh at me,  
Or you can walk right out that door.  
But I can't be just friends anymore. We can't be just friends anymore."  
_  
Zelgadis held that note, letting it hang over the clearing for a moment, perfect in pitch and volume, and just gentle enough to make it slam into Lina's brain a thousand times over. The words repeated over and over in her mind as he set down the guitar, leaning it against the trunk of an old tree.

  
"I have searched for years for a cure for this awful body," he said softly as he straightened. "No magical or medicinal cure allows me to look at myself in the mirror and allow myself to feel human."

  
He spread his stone hands and looked up at her, his eyes full of questions and hopes. "But when you look at me, Lina, I feel like a man again. And I cannot call you my friend because I wish to call you something infinitely more dear. I love you, Lina."

  
She was off the rock and in his arms in an instant, sobbing. "I can't be friends either Zel! I love you too! I can't stand one more day of traveling with you, knowing that I can't have you! Knowing that Amelia has a better chance than me! I don't want to be friends, Zel! I can't be friends!"

  
He bent and hugged her gently against him, burying his face in her hair. "Then let's be something else. Let's be in love."  
  
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~~*shrugs* Just a random cuteness fic. Enjoy!


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